


Side Hustles

by LordKraus



Series: Wilde Files [4]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-01
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-01-02 22:40:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,770
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21169031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LordKraus/pseuds/LordKraus
Summary: This is the place for all of the side stories that take place in Wilde Files but are either from different character point of views or smaller slice of life things.





	1. Chapter 1

# What am I getting myself into?

Chief Bogo huffed as he took off his reading glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose. _I can feel the migraine coming, _he thought to himself as his eyes glanced back toward the computer monitor.

ZPD Case number: 05182016 Officer Nadine Fangmeyer

0245 - OFC Herndaz and I responded to a destruction of property call in the 600 block of Temeraire Boulevard. We were met with the sight of a red fox doing battle with an approximately 21 foot tall bull. The red fox threw balls of fire from some unseen incendiary device that was later used as a flamethrower.

OFC Herndaz and myself shot approximately 21 tranq darts into the bull only to have it laugh it off. The red fox (later identified as one Nicholas Wilde DOB 31 OCT 1983 DL Z84660718 PI ZPD771873) somehow got the thing’s attention and used the unseen incendiary device to not just get the bull’s attention but turn it to smoke. All darts recovered and they have been expended.

Mr Wilde collapsed and declined medical treatment; left the scene with OFC Hopps and Chief Bogo at 0345.

OFC Herndaz and myself will give urinalysis samples before next shift.

Bogo shook his massive head and huffed again. _I would think they were on drugs or __had __lost their minds if it wasn't for what I witnessed in the warehouse in Sahara __Square__. _He looked at the stack of cases; some seemed a bit too farfetched to be true while others were just down right strange. The troubling part, though, was that these sorts of cases were popping up with anever increasing frequency, like the city was slowly starting to come unglued.

He placed his reading glasses back onto his muzzle and brought up the fox’s files for what seemed like the fiftieth time since the incident in Sahara Square. _He’s __squeaky __clean, other than a few parking tickets. __Even__ his high school diploma is in order; granted it is from a correspondence course. _

Bogo pulls his ID out of the card reader and turned out the reading lamp. He dropped his glasses onto the desk as he stood up, stretching before making his way toward his office door. _Need to go home and get some sleep, __since__ I'm hiring that fox tomorrow. _

He looks back at the stack of cases on his desk one last time before shutting the door. The thought came unbidden to his mind. _Just what am I getting myself into?_


	2. Divine Intervention

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place between Chapter 8 and 9 of Semi Automagical. In this short story Chief Bogo gets an unexpected visit.....

# Divine Intervention

The sun had long since set and plunged Chief Bogo’s office into shadows, which his small desk lamp and computer monitor did little to dispel. The walls were festooned with photos, awards, and keepsakes from a long and successful career spanning over three decades. The last decade had been spentsurviving first as Station Chief of Precinct 2 and now as Chief of Police for the entirety of Zootopia as well as Precinct 1. 

Chief Bogo reached over and picked up his coffee cup. Raising it up to his lips to take a sip he looked at it in surprise, finding it empty. He eyed his cup balefully and snorted at it.  _ “I swear I just filled this, _ ” he thought to himself before getting up.

His body was sore and stiff from the effects of aging and a long career of chasing criminals. Not that he would admit to the former.  _ “Just sat too long,” _ he thought as he walked out of his office and down the hall toward the breakroom. 

The hallways of Precinct 1 were empty this time of night. Nightshift had long since gone and started their patrols and assigned duties. He cast a glance down into the atrium and the front desk. The mammal manning it seemed bored, almost as if they were fighting to stay awake. Snow of all things pelted the massive windows as the storm continued to rage outside.

He snorted as he entered the deserted breakroom, rolling his eyes as he picked up the stack of empty doughnut boxes and threw them in the trash less than three feet away. “Sometimes I wonder if I'm running a police department or a daycare,” he mumbled to himself as he made his way over to the coffee pot. 

He filled his cup from the coffee pot, took a sip, and grimaced. “Burnt.” His eyes tracked over the various things on the counter. They landed on the open empty can of ground coffee, causing him to snort and turn back for his office. 

His otherwise sure hoof falls faltered ever so slightly as he caught an out of place scent on the air. “I've been up too long,” he mumbled to himself as he walked into his office. 

“ Yes, you’ve been burning the candle at both ends of the stick for quite some time haven't you Adrien?” a voice asked him so smoothly that it sounded like honey poured over a perfectly tuned violin. 

He was brought up short as his eyes snapped to the form of a vixen standing on the credenza behind his desk. Her back was to him and her paws were clasped behind her back as she looked out the windows at the storm that raged through the city. The window panes rattled ever so slightly in their frames as a particularly strong gust of wind buffeted them. 

The snow white fur of the vixen seemingly glowed in the low light, contrasting sharply with the darkened tips of her ears and the dark material of her immaculate pants suit. From where Bogo stood he couldn't make out the features of her face, not even in the reflection of the window. It was like the window refused to betray her. 

“ How...” Bogo started angrily, before being cut off.

“ Hush,” she commanded as she turned to stare him down. 

Bogo swallowed nervously, the vixen's eyes boring into him from across the room. Those eyes glowed brightly like twin suns of judgment; they would haunt him for the rest of his days. The shadows around her deepened.

“ Oh yes, I know all about you Adrien,” she all but purred. “I know about the smaller prey and predators you terrorized in grade school.” She turned to look back out the window. “At least you weren't too discriminatory about it. No, no that came later didn’t it?” 

“ I don’t know…” 

“ Of course you don’t. There are two mammals you cannot lie to Adrien, and they are both in this room.” She flicked a finger toward the chair in front of his desk and it went skidding across the tiled floor to him. “Sit, we have much to discuss.” 

“ What is it we have to discuss?” he asked as he sat on the chair that was a few sizes too small for him. He frowned as he wondered if this was how some of his officers must feel.

“ Surely even you can feel it.” She paused for a moment taking a deep breath.“There is a storm coming Bogo, and I do not mean the one that my….champion has unleashed.” 

“ Storm? The only storm I'm aware of is the one raging outside!” Bogo railed at her, and paused momentarily in confusion. “Champion? You mean Wilde?” He snorted dismissively at the thought. 

She nodded once. “We are lucky; he has reasons to care now. If this had started a year ago we would be having a very different conversation, or perhaps no conversation at all. ” She sighed as she turned and looked at him once again. “That's the reason I'm here. I know what you're planning to do.” 

“ It can't go unpunished! He's cost millions in damages, put millions of lives at risk!” Bogo seemed to have shaken off his fear of the vixen and stood up as the chair skirted back against the wall. 

“ No one will directly die of this!” the vixen growled ominously. “As for the money, who cares? Consider this training for what is to come.”

“ Who cares?” Bogo asked incredulously. “The taxpayers will care; that money has to come from some place!” 

“ And if they are all made slaves in the coming months?” The growl deepened along with the shadows. “Will they care then that a few million were lost when their world crumbles?” 

“ But…”

“ Canidae has declared that we cannot intervene directly.” Her lips peeled back in a snarl. “This is a mortal problem caused by mortal paws and up to you mortals to fix it!” 

Bogo stared blankly at her; the coffee cup in his hoof started to shake, causing some of the liquid to spill out onto the floor. 

“ The rot in this city invited her here and it will need to be rooted out before this is all done. Mark my words Adrien Idris Bogo, you will not lift a hoof against my champion and those he cares about.” The light drained out of the room until the only thing he could see was her fiery orange eyes. 

“ Then what is it I'm supposed to do?” he asked quietly.

“ Your job.”

“ But…”

“ Is it not the job of a leader to protect his subordinates so they can do their jobs?”

Seconds ticked by before Bogo closed his eyes and nodded. “I understand.”

“ See to it that you do.” The vixen hopped down off the credenza and walked over to him. “Some would say our meeting is long overdue Adrien. It's been begged for by so many that even Canidae herself wouldn’t bat an eye if I were to pass  judgment on you.”

She stared him down one more time as the light started to seep back into the room. “After all, you know what they say about Karma?” She grinned at him. “Meeting me can be a bitch.”

In the time it took Bogo to blink she was gone, leaving a lingering scent of cherries and something else. He looked down in surprise to find his half spilled burnt coffee replaced with a large mammal coffee cup from Snarlbucks.

  
  



	3. Whispers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This takes place after the confrontation with Shere Kahn and the start of High Stakes.

# Whispers

Paperwork, if anyone had told Chief Bogo about the amount of paperwork that one fox could possibly cause he would have thought twice about hiring him. There’s paperwork work for new computers, paperwork for new networking equipment, paperwork for new printers. The blasted fox seemed to take delight in destroying multi-function printers. Thankfully no one has seemed to connect the dots of the Weather Wall malfunction and that damned fox being there, otherwise he’d be buried in paperwork up past his horns and would have to fire that damned fox regardless of what god or goddess he had in his corner.

“Hey Chief,” Clawhauser says, sticking his head in through Chief Bogo’s open door. “I have your mail.”

“Thanks Benjamin.” Bogo looks up at the portly cheetah and snorts. “Just drop it in my inbox and I'll deal with it later.”

“You got a package; maybe it's Gazelle’s latest album,” Clawhauser says hopefully, but also somewhat teasingly as well as he puts the mail into the Chief's inbox. The manila envelope package makes a weighty thump as it lands. 

Bogo snorts, not wanting to encourage Clawhauser  any further down that line of thinking. Bad enough that  he’d figured out his screen name on the Gazelle Fan Forum. ” Shouldn’t have used part of my badge number in my screen name,”  he grumbles to himself,  eying the package. 

“Doubtful,” Bogo comments before turning his attention back to the requisition form in front of him. _More spare parts needed for the vehicle assigned to Hopps and Wilde, _he realizes with a snort. 

“You would know wouldn’t you ChiefFanTK421,” he hears Clawhauser say. By the time he looks up to shoot a death glare at him the portly cheetah is already gone.

Looking around his office he takes off his reading glasses and pinches the bridge of his nose.  _I need a vacation, _ he thinks to himself,  looking at his empty coffee cup before  eying the manila envelope at the top of the small stack of mail. 

Picking it up he  glances at the shipping label.  _Fan Services_ , he muses as he raises an eyebrow and tears the end of the package open. Reaching inside he pulls out a gold coin and stares at it for a few moments as he tries to remember something about  it . 

Holding the coin up to his eye he can just make out the profile of a lion's head wearing a crown on one side and an eagle clutching what looks like arrows or bolts of lightning on the other. No other marks on the coin including no ridges along the edge. It weighs far heavier in his hoof than anything of its size has any right to. 

Bogo snorts at it and drops it onto his desk  blotter with a weighty thunk. He eyes the coin wearily as he tries to remember something about coins. Something important that  he’d read in a recent report. Something nebulous, just out of his reach, like an answer on the tip of his tongue. 

_Coffee._ The thought comes into his mind suddenly, forcing his eyes away from the coin over to his empty coffee cup. _Yes, coffee and maybe a doughnut, _he thinks to himself as he stands, picking up his mug from the desk as he makes his way out of his office. The troubling coin slips further and further from his mind as he walks down the hall. 

Walking into the breakroom Chief Bogo is pleasantly surprised to see the coffee pot carafe still half full of black life giving liquid, as well as four light pink boxes of doughnuts on one of the tables. He snorts as he makes his way over to the coffee maker and pours himself a large cup before picking up and adding an insane amount of  cream and sugar to it. Popping a stir stick into his cup he picks up a couple of napkins before making his way over to the boxes of doughnuts. 

_Of course _ _Clawhauser’s_ _ taken all the ones with sprinkles, _ he thinks to himself as he stacks two jelly filled doughnuts on to the napkin. 

Walking back into his office he groans and the chair creaks slightly as he sits back down at his desk.  Putting down his doughnuts and coffee, he looks at the blotter in front of him. A gold and red sequined keychain in the shape of the Angel with Horns sat upon it. Turning it over, it's inscribed: For my number one fan, ChiefFanTK421.

  
He grins before digging out his personal keys and attaching it to them.  _Coins…. _ he thinks before slipping his keys back into his pocket, but the thought is lost amongst  financial concerns and the damage one fox might do to his budget. 


	4. Wilde Files: A Kitsmas Special

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like most things with Wilde FIles this is Pandora's fault. 
> 
> This is a strange story for me as chronologically this story takes place AFTER High Stakes. So with that being said there are some High Stakes Spoilers in here. Don't let that fool you though this is 99.98% Weapons Grade Fluff. I was going to wait until Christmas Eve to drop this but with everything going on in my life right now felt it was appropriate to get this out now.
> 
> Enjoy, and Merry Christmas... or Kitsmas if you perfer. :)
> 
> Please read the end note for Important High Stakes infomation.

# Wilde Files: A Kitsmas Special 

I never really had any holiday traditions. My father and I moved around so much that having them didn't make much sense. He always managed to scrape up the money to get me something though. Like the year before he … died. He got me a Nintendog Gameboy. I loved that thing, even had the light attachment for it so I could play it in the car at night. Well, that and the car adapter for it that plugged into the cigarette lighter. The Legend of Zelda was my absolute favorite game. But I played almost anything I could get my paws on at used game stores. The one thing that always stuck out to me though is that even though Dad complained about buying batteries he would always ask about the games I played. What the story was or what the goal of the game was. He was genuinely happy to see me happy. 

After my dad died and I became an apprentice, my grandfather never really really subscribed to holidays. They were just another day for working. The chickens had to be tended, snow had to be shoveled and wood had to be chopped and magic craft had to be learned. 

But now that I have a wife and kit? Now that I have a family? I can’t think of anything more than wanting to establish those traditions or even pick up a few with my new extended family.

“You sure it arrived?” I ask as we step out of the rift between realities. I'm carrying Cotton bundled up in a heavy winter coat, asleep from the cantrip that I’d placed upon her. I have a duffle bag slung by its strap across my back, full of smaller gifts for Cotton and my new in-laws. 

The rolling hills of the Hopps Family Farm stretch before us covered in a thick blanket of snow. Somebunny had taken the time to shovel the path from the top of the hill to the farmstead below in anticipation of our arrival. The smoke from the burrow’s many chimneys rises in the early morning light. It's a breathtaking view, truly stunning to behold. 

“Yes, Amazoo said it was delivered and Mom called and confirmed it; and the box wasn’t damaged at all,” Judy says beside me, dressed in a thick winter parka and jeans. She also has a duffle slung across her back, this one containing most of our clothing and Cotton’s stuffy, Annabell.

“Relax Sensei,” Hipp says from my other side. “Sheesh, it's like you’ve never had Kitsmas before.” 

“Perceptive as always Grasshopper.” We start heading down the cleared pathway. 

“Wait.” She pauses and stares at me. “You can't be serious. Just what kind of dysfunctional family do you come from?”

“You might as well wake her up,” Judy says, saving me from having to answer that question right now. “She can start burning off energy and maybe we can take a nap.” 

“Ohhhh, wonder if Mom has any fudge made yet?” Hipp asks excitedly. 

“Wake little one,” I mumble as I brush a thumb across Cotton’s forehead. 

Cotton stretches slightly in my arms as her arms come up and wrap around my neck. “Good morning Daddy,” she mumbles sleepily. 

I tighten my arms, hugging the young bunny to my chest. I wonder if she knows how happy she makes me. Likely she does, as it's been pointed out to me that when it comes to Judy and Cotton my heart is on my sleeve. 

“SNOW!” Cotton shouts excitedly, taking notice of the white powdery snow on the ground. She squirms out of my arms and skips along the edge of the path, picking up pawfuls of it and throwing it up in the air. 

I can't help but smile at her youthful exuberance as she skips down the snowy path. It makes me happy in more ways than one to know that her youthful innocence remains intact. 

“Relax Slick, it'll be fine,” Judy says as she reaches up and takes a hold of my paw. 

“Unless Pop-pop is there,” Hipp comments. 

Judy shrugs as the lit up farm house portion of the burrow comes into view. Kitsmas lights are hung along the eves of the entrance and strung throughout the trees planted over the mound itself. It’s almost like setting foot into a Howlmark Card. “The likelihood of him being there for long is slim.” 

“Remember what you learned about suppressing your magic,” I say to Hipp, pushing back against the tide that is my magic as we step up onto the porch.

“Yes Sensei.” 

Judy looks up at me. “Don't worry it's just for a little while, then we can go out to the cottage and you can relax for a bit, I promise.” 

I hold the door open for the rabbits as they walk inside. Cotton instantly shoots off yelling ‘Grandma! Grandpa!’ as she disappears into the depths of the warren. The smell of stepping into the warren can only be described as…delicious. It’s the smell of any number of different pies, cookies, and other sugary confections all rolled into one with a thick layer of glaze and pine. 

The pine smell, of course, coming from the giant tree now dominating the large circular stairwell that makes up the backbone of the warren. It's decorated in twinkling lights and an odd combination of store bought and paw made ornaments all mixed together in a way that just works. 

“Jude, Hipp, Nick!” Stu calls out as soon as we leave the mud room and step into the spectacle that is the Hopps Warren. “So happy you guys could make it!” he says, genuinely happy to see us. 

He hugs Judy and Hipp in turn before turning his attention to me. “I’m glad you took my advice son,” he says before pulling me into a hug of my own. It's awkward to say the least but not unwelcome. I’m not sure which I'm more taken back by, the sudden show of affection or the acceptance I feel here. “Welcome to the family, Nick,” Stu says, stepping back. “Bon will want to see ya guys but don't you worry, we got you all set up in the equipment barn for later.” 

“Merry Kitsmas Dad,” Judy says. “And thanks for not freaking out over our marriage.” 

“Why would I?” Stu asks with a grin. “I’m the one that said you guys could elope!” 

“See, told ya everything would be fine,” Judy says as she wraps her arms around mine. 

“You two should go down and see Bon,” Stu says before looking up at me. “And you should get some rest; trust me you're gonna need it.” 

Little did I know how prophetic those words would be.

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“‘How hard could it be?' I said.” I flip through the instructions, mumbling to myself . With its two double sided pages, there really isn't that much to flip through. Bike parts and different tools are scattered around me in a semicircle, intermixed with bits and pieces of packaging. “It's just a kits bike. It can't possibly be that hard,” I mumble some more, growing even more frustrated with the situation. 

I’m a wizard, following directions is what we do. Mostly. But these pages in my paws offer little in the sense of directions, just arrows and numbers, no explanation at all! This really shouldn't be that hard to assemble. A bike frame, two tires, a chain, handlebars and a pair of training wheels. Simple, easy stuff right? Yeah well, I thought that too.

“Frustrated is not a good look on you Nick,” Bonnie says as she enters the equipment barn. I pick up the smell of hot chocolate as she nears. “Come take a break and have a drink with me.”

Nodding I toss the directions onto the pile. “Might as well. It’s not like I’m making much progress anyway.” Groaning, I stand and walk over to a pair of lawn chairs by one of the space heaters.

Bonnie chuckles as she hands me a warm cup of hot chocolate. The hot cup warms my paws nicely. It's not like it's overly cold in the equipment barn, as Stu did turn on some propane heaters for me. But it still has a chill. 

“Thanks,” I tell her before taking a sip. It’s very warm but not too hot or sweet. 

“Stu always liked having a bit while he assembled various kit toys on Kitsmas Eve,” Bonnie says, smiling at me. “Don't worry dear, he's having his own struggles at the moment.”

“Ahh, I wondered why he didn't stick around to lend me a paw.” 

“We did bikes a few years ago,” Bonnie explains. “I’m pretty sure he's still traumatized from that.” 

“It must be hard to keep Kitsmas surprises from all your kits.” 

“Sometimes, but we also have a bit of help,” Bonnie explains, shooting me a wink. 

_Ahh yes, serving the goddess of surprises has its fringe benefits_ , I think to myself.

“I wanted to thank you,” Bonnie says, holding her cup of hot chocolate. “It’s been some years since Judith and Cotton have been here for Kitsmas and we’ve missed them terribly. It’s just not Kitsmas without all the family here.”

I nod, slowly taking a sip of my hot chocolate, unsure what to say to that. 

“Judy told me what happened,” Bonnie says, looking at the mess of bike parts. “Maybe not everything, but enough.”

“I almost lost her….” I look down at the mug in my paws before taking a sip.

“But you didn’t,” Bonnie says kindly. “You can't beat yourself up over what happened, Nicholas. You’re only mammal.” 

I look at her out of the corner of my eye and tense slightly, my attention more on the pile of bike parts. “I should have done more though.”

“Maybe,” Bonnie agrees before grinning at me. “But dwelling on the past won't help you put together that bike now will it?” 

“No, I guess it won’t.” 

“So what is it that you're having problems with?”

“Who says I'm having problems?” I ask defensively.

This isn’t my first Kitsmas Nick,” Bonnie laughs. “I know the look of a frustrated male .”

“The instructions are missing pages,” I explain, bending over to fish them out of the pile of bike parts. “There’s just numbers with arrows; I get that the parts slide together….” 

“Oh…” Bonnie says, looking over the instructions. “You’re missing the page that tells you what parts you should have and the tools you'll need….” She looks from the booklet to the pile of parts on the floor. “Looks like you have everything though.” 

I nod in agreement. “All the parts look like what Judy showed me on the listing.”

“So what's the problem?” Bonnie asks.

I rub the back of my head. “I’m unsure how it all goes together. There are numbers, arrows, and pictures but it makes little sense to me.”

Bonnie stares at me blankly for a moment before she starts to laugh. “Oh you poor guy,” she says in between bursts of laughter. “You are somehow the only male on the planet whose problem isn't fixed by reading the directions.”

“Well in my defense it's missing a page.”

“That you are,” she says after taking a moment to compose herself. “Look,” she says turning the instructions around. “These numbers correspond to the size of the wrench you'll need to tighten the bolt.”

“Oh…” My ears flatten slightly in embarrassment and I take the instructions from her. “Thank you.”

“You would have figured it out eventually dear,” she says as she pats my knee. She gathers up our mugs and stands up. “Just make sure the rear tire can touch the ground so the bike actually moves when she pedals it.” 

I move back into the center of the chaos of bike parts and tools and sit down cross legged as I look back over the instructions. 

“Also make sure everything is tight,” Bonnie adds before leaving me to it.

I spend the next few minutes sorting through the tools and finding the scant few I needed, a screw driver and a small pawful of wrenches. I spend the next little bit actually making progress on getting the bicycle assembled. The hardest part was getting the rear tire set so the chain was tight. And once the training wheels were on they acted as a sort of stand that made working on it even easier. 

The rest of the process of putting the bike together goes amazingly smoothly. And it only causes me to feel a tad bit foolish about my initial hiccup. But in my defense, tools weren’t really a thing I used growing up. Yeah we had an old farm truck, but my grandfather kept that in repair and I was told to stay as far away from it as I could for obvious reasons. I didn’t really question it, as my Grandfather was crotchety at best . 

Standing, I look down at the bubblegum pink bike with chrome handlebars. I find myself somewhat giddy with excitement to see Cotton riding it. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

I’m not sure what time it is when I’m finally able to curl around Judy, but I know it’s late. How late I'm not really all that sure, but it's late enough that when the expected over excited wake up call comes that I feel like that I didn’t get any sleep at all. Not that I'm complaining mind you. 

“Mommy! Daddy! “Cotton calls excitedly. “Santa came, he really came!” 

“Did he?” Judy asks as I tiredly tighten my arms around her.

“He did!” Cotton says as she gets up onto our bed. The bed now all but vibrates with her childish over exuberance. 

“See Slick,” Judy says quietly as she kisses the underside of my muzzle. “I told you we wouldn't need an alarm clock.”

“Come on!” Cotton says, pushing on my shoulder to get me to uncurl from around her mother. “Pwease Daddy?” 

I crack my eyes open to see her large brown eyes staring at me. I can't help but smile at the sheer unbridled excitement in her eyes. “Merry Kitsmas Cottonball.” 

“Merry Kitsmas Daddy!” she squeals, wrapping her arms around my head. 

“Ok Cotton, we’re up, give us a few minutes and we’ll open presents before going into the warren,” Judy says warmly as I uncurl myself from around her. 

“YAY!” Cotton shouts.

“Just let me at least visit the little does room,” Judy says as she slides off the bed, heading toward the restroom.

I stretch and yawn on the bed, my back popping in a number of places as I reach out with my will. Touching upon my innate magic I light all the candles around the room of the cabin and add a bit more fuel to the fire in the fireplace. I look over at the darkened Kitsmas tree and wave my paw, willing brightly colored flashing lights to appear randomly on it. 

“Whoa…..” Cotton says as the lights sparkle in her eyes. 

“Whoa is right,” Judy says as she comes back into the room. “You good Nick or do you need to use the restroom?”

“Yeah, give me a minute,” I say, much to Cotton’s chagrin. 

After availing myself of the facilities I walk back into the main room of the cabin. And grin at the young bunny pacing impatiently behind the couch. I on the other hand walk around the other side of it and sit down beside Judy. 

“Ok, Cotton, you can come around now,” Judy says warmly. 

I look down over the arm of the couch just in time to see Cotton scamper around the side. I can’t help but smile as a small shiver goes down my spine. The energy in the room changes from anxiousness to pure unbridled joy. If you’ve ever been in a room with a young kit on Kitsmas morning you know exactly what I’m talking about. 

She takes a sudden intake of breath and squeals happily, spinning in the middle of the room, her ears flying about. “A BIKE!” she squeals. “OH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!” 

“Do you think she likes it?” Judy asks in an exaggerated whisper.

“I dunno Fluff.” I grin down at her. “I think Santa might have to come take it back.” 

“NO!” Cotton shouts, jumping up onto the couch and wrapping her arms around my neck. It doesn't matter how tired, exhausted or gods be damned drained you are. A tiny yet ferocious hug will power you forever.

My tail wags, thumping against the couch the rest of the morning, much to both Judy and Cotton’s amusement. Watching our daughter unwrap the various things we got her was truly a joy. A new pink unicorn horned bike helmet, rainbow sparkle handlebar streamers, a small pawful of new board games and puzzles. 

Judy got a new mug and some of her favorite chew sticks. Honestly, the things that I’ve had to learn about the needs of rabbits this last year would amaze you. But I'm pretty sure Judy feels the same way about me. I also gave Judy a second ring of kinetic force. 

Cotton looks from the last present under the tree to her mom and then me. 

“Ok Cotton, you can give it to him,” Judy says, looking at our daughter. 

I watch in fascination as Cotton picks up the last box under the tree and hands it to me. “Merry Kitsmas Daddy,” she says sweetly. 

I tilt my head as I take the package and look from her to Judy.

“Open it Daddy!” Cotton says excitedly. 

I smile at her before looking down and tearing the wrapping paper from the box in my paws. Underneath the Santa hatted carrots wrapping paper is a nondescript brown box. After slitting the tape holding it closed I open it. 

Inside the box is a pleather bound tome with  _The Wildes_ embossed in gold leaf. The script is done in a flowing artistically done style. It’s clearly done by paw as it has the style and soul of a mammal that clearly loves their craft. 

I look at Judy questioningly and she just smiles at me as I lift the book out of the box. 

“Open it,” Judy prompts softly.

I raise an eyebrow as I look back down at the book and open the cover. I can’t help but smile at the first photo. It's Judy, Cotton, myself with Judge Swifttail, a grey and tan swift fox that serves as one of the family judges. The picture was taken just after Judy and I had said our vows and Judy surprised me with Cotton’s adoption paperwork. The caption below it reads  _The Wildes, established November 11th 2016_ .

But it's the picture on the very next page that brings tears to my eyes. I have no idea how she got it; I suspect a goddess was involved. But I cannot bring myself to care. The picture is of Cotton and me asleep on the couch in my hovel. She’s curled up on my chest with my right paw as her blanket. The caption below it reads simply  _Cotton and her daddy, June 2016. _

Tears well up in my eyes as I look at the picture. I remember that morning well; I remember how nervous I felt that Judy was going to skin me alive. 

“Momma, why is Daddy crying?” Cotton asks softly. “Does he like the gift?” 

I put the photo album aside and gather both of them up in a hug as words fail me. 

“He’s just happy,” Judy answers for me. 

“But he’s crying.”

“Grown ups are like that sometimes,” Judy tries to explain.

“Grown ups are weird,” Cotton says. I can’t help but chuckle a little bit at the all too true statement. “Merry Kitsmas Daddy.”

  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok guys, some real talk here. 
> 
> I know I said I was going to release High Stakes on 1 Jan 2021, unfortunately that is no longer the case. Im not going to give a date at this time. I'm sorry but I just cant right now. 
> 
> As an aside note. Call your parents they love you. 
> 
> Kraus.


End file.
